What We’re Drinking: April 2020

Welcome back to What We’re Drinking, wherein The Growler editorial staff look back on recent remarkable beverages. What are you drinking, Growler Nation? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Keepsake Wild Medium Cider

Brian Kaufenberg, Editor-in-Chief

Keepsake Medium Wild Cider // Photo by Tj Turner

Considering some of the mass-marketed ciders out there, you might shudder at the idea of a “sweet cider,” but Keepsake’s Wild Medium Cider is one to change your perception. Fresh-cut apple aromas fill the glass with sweet orange and honey scents in the background. The cider is round and full-bodied on the sip with a lively interplay between acid and sweetness. A mild buttery, nuttiness helps flesh out this cider with a surprising and refreshing depth of character.

Schell’s Cream Ale

John Garland, Deputy Editor

Schell’s Cream Ale // Photo by Tj Turner

No single beer released in the last five years has been more relevant to my interests. I love Schell’s beer, and their unparalleled craftsmanship with traditional styles like amber lager (Firebrick) and Keller Pils. And I love cream ales—light and crisp with perfect attenuation from a bit of lagering, Castle Danger’s has been my go-to beer store purchase for years. I’m happy to report that a marriage of the two is just as harmonious as you’d hope it would be. My official beer of summer 2020 has arrived.

Mikkeller Raspberry Blush

Lauren Sauer, Associate Editor

Mikkeller Raspberry Blush // Photo by Tj Turner

A Berliner weisse with tart raspberries and barrel-aged Ethiopian coffee doesn’t sound like something that should work all that well, but in an age without rules (both in craft beer and general society), anything goes! In this case, San Diego’s Mikkeller Brewing pulled it off splendidly—the roasty, chocolatey flavors of the coffee cuts the tartness of the berries, resulting in a light-bodied, fun, refreshing mental escape from self-isolation.

Fulton Hopped! Hard Seltzer

Zach McCormick, Social Media Coordinator

When we did our hard seltzer taste test back in January, I was surprised by the relative lack of flavor options on the market outside of the sweet-and-fruity paradigm. Luckily, Fulton has spotted this market inefficiency and created a hopped hard seltzer to fill the void. Dry and resinous with a hop flavor that skews closer to piney West Coast IPAs, this seltzer also plays very nicely with gin for an easy backyard cocktail. Leave the pineapple and watermelon to the kids this summer and crack one of these instead.